Chapter 2 Marcus
MARCUS
“Iwish I could say I didn’t see that coming, but you know I only lie to the ladies.” Leonard smirks at me.
“I know you have thoughts and feelings running around that mind of yours, Marcus. You might as well get them out of your system before your father and uncle come over later to give you the whole ‘do your duty’ speech.” He takes his hands off the wheel to make air quotes, and I grip the wheel as we turn the bend.
“Jesus, Leonard, I’d like to be alive to live out my life of misery.”
Leonard puts his hands back on the steering wheel and grins at me. “That’s the spirit. We’re getting somewhere. Let it all out.”
This time I do roll my eyes. Leonard is the closest thing to a best friend I have, but his aversion to taking anything seriously gets under my skin.
I know better than to doubt him, though.
His father gave his life for mine, and ever since, my family has treated Leonard and his mother as our own.
At times, I’m envious of his laid-back personality and his ability to charm his way in or out of most situations, but right now, I wish he’d be serious for one fucking minute.
The turn for my driveway comes up, and Leonard takes it much faster than he should. I grip the grab handle and fight the inertia of my body against the car. It’s ironic, since I’m also fighting the inertia of my life.
As soon as we’re through the gates and Leonard stops the car, I unclip the safety belt and jump out, slamming the door shut.
“Easy with my baby, Marcus,” he says as he gets out and runs a loving hand over the silver paint. The car had been a gift from my father on my twenty-fifth birthday two years ago, but Leonard treats it like his.
“You know killing the heir apparent is treason.”
Leonard rolls his eyes but takes a mocking bow. “My apologies, Your Majesty. Please do not lob my head off.”
“Give it a month, and I’m sure my wife would have no problem doing that for me.”
I storm up the stairs and into my office.
I’m levelheaded enough to know that Leonard would give his life for me the same as his father gave his life for mine, but I’m pissed.
Pissed at the council’s decision, pissed at the fact that I’m bound to carry out my duty.
My father has as much warmth as an iceberg, but loyalty is his currency—to the family, to the council, to every damn obligation that shackles me now.
Maybe I’m just a little envious of Leonard’s carefree nature.
More to the point, I’m envious of the fact that he is allowed to be carefree while the responsibilities of my family lie heavily on my shoulders.
I push open my office door and head straight for the couch, collapsing onto it with a dramatic flop.
I cover my eyes with my hand as I suck in deep gulps of air, trying to steady myself.
I don’t need to hear Leonard to know he’s there—I can feel his presence, calm and unhurried, even in the soft, deliberate sound of his footsteps.
The sound of leather squeaking indicates he’s taken a seat on the other couch.
I give myself another couple of minutes to try to calm down, but the restlessness is eating me alive.
I should probably go for a run, let my wolf free, even though it’s not normally my thing, but I know my family will be here shortly, and I need to get my head around everything that’s going on before I become the dutiful son.
But I’m afraid that if I do let my wolf free, we won’t come back.
Ignoring Leonard, I stand and walk over to the decanter in the corner. Sebastian, my assistant, must have been in here cleaning up because the scent of lemon Pledge hits my nostrils. Usually, the scent gives me a sense of calm, but not this time.
I automatically take a look at my paperwork to make sure nothing has been messed with.
But I know better than that; Sebastian always puts everything back the way he found it.
I’ll need to remember to lock my office when Little Miss Violent moves in.
I wouldn’t put it past her to fuck with my stuff just for the sake of fucking with my stuff.
I pour a generous glass of whiskey for Leonard and myself, then walk over and hand him the crystal glass.
He raises an eyebrow but keeps his thoughts to himself, despite the fact that it’s barely past eleven in the morning and I’m already reaching for the hard stuff.
I’m not much of a drinker, but on occasion when I’m working late on my research, I’ll have a glass to switch off before turning in.
But if I’m going to face my family and not lose my cool, I’m going to need something to help me stay calm.
“You should let off some steam. Throw something. Break that pretty glass you’re holding.”
“What, and act like the brute I’m being forced to marry?” I fume as I sit down and toss back the whiskey, savoring the burn as it slides down my throat.
“Would it really be so bad to marry her? There are worse things in life than being married to a gorgeous, fiery woman.”
“I don’t have time to rein in a woman with no qualms about helping people in her employ cause harm to others.
She must’ve known what was going to go down with the vampire king and queen.
Her endorsement resulted in fatalities. Tell me, would you be okay marrying the woman who had a hand in killing Jake and Jackson? ”
Leonard flinches and lowers his head. I regret the words the minute they leave my mouth. Leonard trained Jake and Jackson—the two leading travel guides Jethro mentioned—when they were initiates, and he took their deaths hard. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.”
He smiles at me, his pain forgotten—at least that’s the impression he gives. Sometimes I wonder if his easy-going nature is just a defense mechanism, or if it’s real. If it is real, does it come at a cost to him?
“I know the sacrifices you’re going to have to make to marry Esmeralda.”
Setting the glass down on a coaster, I scrub a hand down my face.
“I don’t know if I can do this. I’ve already sacrificed everything for the family.
To lose what little control I have left is going to…
” I trail off. It’s going to chisel away at me bit by bit until there’s nothing left, but I won’t say that to Leonard.
Instead, I blurt out the only other truth.
“Out of everything, the fact that I have to share my space with her and lose my privacy gets to me the most.” My wolf snarls in agreement.
“You forget that she will be losing her privacy too and will also have to make sacrifices. It’s not going to be all bad. Doesn’t marriage mean getting laid whenever you want to?”
Leonard is only trying to help, but the idea of being even remotely intimate with Esmerelda gets my hackles up.
They may be able to force my hand about who I spend the rest of my life with, but there is no way I am going to fuck her.
Regardless of my cock stirring to life at the mere thought.
“I may have to share a home with her and lose all my privacy but there are two places she will not be welcome, and that’s in my office and my bed.
” My wolf snarls at me, displeased with my stance, but he can be as pissed off as he wants to be.
We are not going anywhere near that woman. Even if I have to keep him on lockdown.
“There are other places in the home to fuck a gorgeous woman. The kitchen, for instance. It’s the perfect place. All that counterspace to spread her out on.”
“Why would I do that when I can’t stand her? You’ve heard the rumors about her. She’s conceited, brash, violent. She will do anything and everything to succeed, no matter the cost to others. And we know that firsthand.”
“I’ve also heard all the rumors about you, and ninety percent of them are false. Besides, do you mean to tell me you’ve liked every woman you’ve fucked?”
He’s got me there. Some women I haven’t even known long enough to know if I liked them or not. “I know how I feel about Esmerelda, so it’s a hard pass from me.”
“Is there a law that states your best friend can take one for the team?”
I clench my jaw and my fists before I even realize that I’m doing it, but I put it down to my wolf wanting the privileges I have no desire to take.
“Esmerelda doesn’t strike me as the kind to be passed around like an object.
But by all means, try. I look forward to seeing your dick sewn to your forehead. ”
“Sounds kinky, I like it.”
I know Leonard is trying to make me feel better, but all he’s doing is making me feel possessive over a woman I can’t stand. I definitely need to give my wolf a run. It’s getting harder to control him when he’s this restless.
He claps a hand on my shoulder, and I jolt. I didn’t even hear him cross the room. I need to get my shit together. “Just take it a day at a time. Things have a tendency to work out.”
My head rattles with a million thoughts, and none of them lead to a scenario where everything works out. But I need to calm the noise for now. I glance at my watch—my father and uncle will be here soon, and they’ll expect me to be in control.
“You don’t have to like it, son, but it is what it is.”
“That’s right. As heir apparent, it’s your responsibility to take on this sacrifice for the family. You don’t have the privilege of thinking about yourself right now,” my uncle says.
I try not to clench my jaw. For all intents and purposes, I’m the picture of calm as I sit, facing my father and uncle in the den.
My arm is draped casually over the back of the couch, my ankle resting on the opposite knee, and I’m even managing to keep my foot from jiggling.
I’ve barely said two words since they arrived, and I certainly haven’t expressed any objections despite having plenty.
So, this lecture they are giving me about responsibility and sacrifice is pretty much moot.
But I don’t tell them that. Instead, I nod and say, “As always, I will serve our family well and do my duty.”
My father looks pleased. I don’t make the mistake of thinking he’s pleased with me.
He’s merely smug about the fact that he raised his son with a perfect sense of duty.
He smooths his slicked-back graying hair and slips his hand inside his jacket, retrieving three cigars.
Leonard disappeared the moment my father arrived.
He appreciates all my family has done for him, but he’s attended enough of these lectures to know what’s going to be said word-for-word.
He’s not wrong. Aside from a few word choices every now and again, this speech is a copy-and-paste of the countless ones I’ve received before.
I decline the offer of the cigar, as I do every time, and my uncle and father light up.
The pungent smell of the smoke brings about negative feelings.
Cigars and my father and uncle’s disapproval go hand-in-hand, which is why I don’t ever invite them into my office, although this time they are happy with my “decision”.
There are only three people who have ever been in my office—Leonard, Sebastian, and me—and that will never change.
Despite the fact that I don’t want any lingering negativity in my office and the olfactory stimuli will certainly do that, my father and uncle have never approved of my work.
They think being a traditionalist healer is beneath my role as alpha and heir apparent.
If they knew I was currently researching how to protect different species from human detection, they would certainly look for something they deem to be a better use of my time.
They’ve already pushed for me to attend more meetings with them, but I’d much rather belly-crawl over broken glass than suffer through that.
I prefer the solitude of my research and one-on-one time with my patients.
But for now, I sit and watch my family postulate on my life and what will be good for everyone else, without so much as a thought as to how this will affect me.